A Journal of the Plague Year

First published in 1722, this narrative is told by H.F., a London saddler who remains in the city during the plague of 1665. He records the weekly bills of mortality, the shutting up of infected houses, the burial pits, the flight of the court, and the rumours that travel faster than official orders. He walks the emptied streets, visits the pesthouse districts, and argues with himself about providence, trade, and whether to stay. The book imitates a private journal so closely that it reads as reportage, though it was composed decades after the outbreak from printed sources and invention.

Three-quarter bound in black cloth with a paper front board printed with an image in gold and white. Black slipcase with gilt blocked title on front.